I Waited 20 Years—Don't Make the Same Mistake

I had my first real business idea when I was 22. It was a good idea—not revolutionary, but solid. I could see exactly how to build it, who would buy it, and why it would work.

Instead of starting, I decided to wait. I wanted more experience first. More money saved. More industry connections. More confidence in my abilities.

I finally built that business when I was 42.

It worked exactly as I had imagined 20 years earlier. But here's the devastating part: it would have worked just as well when I was 22. All that waiting didn't make me more prepared—it just made me older.

Those 20 years cost me more than just the opportunity. They cost me the compound growth that comes from starting earlier, the experience that comes from building multiple businesses, and the confidence that comes from proving to yourself that you can create something from nothing.

The Perfect Timing Myth

The most seductive lie in entrepreneurship is that there's a "right time" to start. We tell ourselves we'll begin when we have enough money, enough experience, enough connections, enough confidence.

But perfect timing is a myth that keeps capable people waiting indefinitely.

There will never be a time when you have everything you think you need. There will never be a moment when all conditions align perfectly. There will never be a day when starting feels completely safe and certain.

The "right time" to start is always now, with whatever resources you currently have.

Why Waiting Feels Rational

Waiting feels responsible because you can always identify legitimate reasons why starting now isn't optimal:

• You don't have enough capital saved
• Your current job is too demanding for a side business
• The market timing isn't perfect
• You need more skills or experience first
• Your personal situation isn't stable enough

All of these concerns are valid. But they'll still be valid next year, and the year after that. There will always be reasons to wait.

Meanwhile, someone with worse timing, less preparation, and fewer resources is building the business you're planning to build someday.

The Compound Cost of Delay

What I didn't understand at 22 was that entrepreneurial delay has compound costs that get exponentially more expensive over time.

Financial Compound Cost

Starting at 22 instead of 42 doesn't just give you 20 extra years of business building—it gives you 20 extra years of business building during your highest-energy decades, plus the compound growth of reinvesting early successes into bigger opportunities.

If I had started at 22 and built three businesses over 20 years instead of one business at 42, the financial difference would be measured in millions, not thousands.

Experience Compound Cost

Every business you build teaches you something that makes the next business easier and more likely to succeed. Starting earlier means more businesses, which means more education, which means better judgment, which means bigger successes.

The entrepreneur who starts their first business at 25 and their fourth business at 45 has massive advantages over the entrepreneur who starts their first business at 45, even if both are equally intelligent and motivated.

Confidence Compound Cost

Successfully building something from nothing creates unshakeable confidence in your ability to figure things out. This confidence enables you to pursue bigger opportunities and take calculated risks that cautious people avoid.

Waiting to feel confident before starting means you never develop the evidence-based confidence that only comes from actually building something.

The Age Advantage Nobody Mentions

Here's what I tell older entrepreneurs who feel like they've missed their opportunity: you haven't missed anything. You've gained something that younger entrepreneurs don't have—perspective.

At 42, I brought 20 years of professional experience, industry relationships, and life wisdom to my business that 22-year-old me couldn't have had.

The business I built at 42 was more sophisticated, more customer-focused, and more profitable than anything 22-year-old me could have created.

But—and this is crucial—it would have been even better if I had started at 22 and spent 20 years iterating and improving.

The Sweet Spot Strategy

If you're over 30 and feeling like you've waited too long, here's the truth: you're at the perfect age to combine youthful energy with mature judgment.

You have enough life experience to avoid beginner mistakes, but enough time left to build something significant. You understand what you don't want from work, which makes it easier to design what you do want.

Use your age as an advantage, not an excuse.

The Psychology of Perpetual Preparation

Why do smart people wait so long to start businesses they know they want to build?

Fear of inadequacy: "I'm not ready yet" often means "I'm afraid I'm not capable."

Fear of opportunity cost: "What if something better comes along?" keeps you from committing to current opportunities.

Fear of judgment: "What will people think if this doesn't work?" prevents you from risking your reputation on uncertain outcomes.

All of these fears are about protecting your current identity instead of building your future identity.

If you're dealing with career change anxiety that's keeping you in waiting mode, understand that the anxiety doesn't decrease with time—it increases. The longer you wait, the scarier change becomes.

How to Stop Waiting and Start Building

The cure for perpetual preparation isn't perfect planning—it's imperfect action.

The Two-Week Rule

Give yourself two weeks to take one meaningful action toward the business you've been planning. Not to complete anything—just to start something real.

This artificial deadline forces you to work with current conditions instead of waiting for ideal conditions.

The Minimum Viable Start

You don't need to build the complete business—you need to test the core assumption. Can you sell one unit of whatever you want to build? Can you get one customer to pay for a simplified version of your service?

Start with the smallest version of your idea that still provides real value to real customers.

The Anti-Perfectionist Pledge

Commit to starting with whatever level of preparation you currently have. Your first attempt won't be perfect, but it will be real. And real is better than perfect when perfect never happens.

Your Anti-Waiting Action Plan

Today: Set a firm deadline for taking one concrete action toward your business goal. Two weeks maximum.

This week: Share your business intention with someone who will hold you accountable to your deadline.

This month: Start building the minimum viable version of whatever you've been planning to build "someday."

If you need structured support moving from planning to action, the FSTEP program is specifically designed for people who are excellent at preparation but struggle with execution. You'll learn to channel your analytical strengths into building instead of endless planning.

Remember, the perfect time to start was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.

Stop waiting for conditions that will never be perfect. Start building with conditions that are good enough.

Your future self will thank you for starting today instead of waiting another year for slightly better circumstances.

The opportunity cost of waiting isn't just the business you don't build—it's the person you don't become through the experience of building it.